SECURITY POLICIES IN THE CONTEXT OF STRATEGIC CULTURE: THE CASES OF SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of strategic cultural elements on the security policies of the states through the cases of South Korea and Japan. It can be said that with the concept of strategic culture which first emerged in the international relations (IR) literature in the Cold War period, the effects of cultural elements on the behavior of the states are examined. For strategic cultural theorists, the beliefs, behaviour patterns or perceptions that arose from factors such as experiences or geopolitical positions shape the security policies of the states. South Korea and Japan as two important actors in the Asia-Pacific region have effective military and economic elements that can affect strategic calculations in the region. In this study, it is argued that there are similarities and differences in the strategic cultural elements of South Korea and Japan and these factors affect the security policies of two states in the region